Violette Damo, 6, helps lay out flowers in the shape of a heart at the Estero Community Park in Estero, Fla., on Nov. 12, 2016. People met at the park to write on sidewalks with chalk and lay flowers to spread awareness on what a Trump presidency might mean for religious tolerance. Logan Newell/Special to The Naples News

The loveliness of a flower on a green stem can be a balm for the suffering human heart.

Flowers can represent feelings, such as friendship or love. Days after the divisive U.S. presidential election, they stood for tolerance.

A handful of friends, who had searched for ways to reaffirm tolerance as a value in their children, brought flowers to Estero Community Park on Saturday, just before sunset.

Under trees, on a grassy piece of flat land, the children and adults fashioned daisies, carnations and lilies into the shape of a heart. They used chalk to write messages on nearby sidewalks, including "All are welcome here."

There are people who might feel anxious, uncertain or even afraid after the election, said Rachel Revehl, a Lee County resident and mother of two.

"We are all a little fragile and a little on edge. And we felt it was important to reach out," Revehl said. "We are going to get through this."

Bannon, who also had a leadership position in Trump's campaign, helped build the Breitbart News Network, a conservative news outlet that has gained a reputation as a haven for propaganda from the "alt-right," a white supremacy movement with social media savvy.

Liz Kellar writes on a sidewalk at the Estero Community Park in Estero, Fla., on Nov. 12, 2016. People met at the park to write on sidewalks with chalk and lay flowers to spread awareness on what a Trump presidency might mean for religious tolerance. (Photo: Logan Newell/Special to The Naples News)

"It's really surreal. It really feels like we're in 'The Twilight Zone' or in a 'Simpsons' cartoon Halloween special," Shibly said. "It's a little bit shocking to see the level of tolerance there is in many voters for racism, sexism and xenophobia."

Hate crimes against Muslims are at their highest level since 2001, the year of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, according to annual data released by the FBI.

Kobach had helped write another controversial immigration law, SB 1070, which required police to determine the immigration status of people arrested or detained when there was “reasonable suspicion” they were not in the U.S. legally. In 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled key parts of that law were unconstitutional.

Trump has walked back on the Muslim ban and has instead called for "extreme vetting" of immigrants who might enter the United States from conflict zones. It is unclear how that process would differ from what the U.S. State Department has in place.

Jonathan Martin, chairman of the Lee County Republican Party, said Trump's proposed ban on Muslim immigration was always meant to be temporary.

Trump's point is "we need to get control and understand who is coming into the country," Martin said. "Since all the terrorists who are threatening us are coming through certain areas, he was going to put extra scrutiny" on them.

The president-elect's ability to stay focused on his message and not be "swayed by political correctness" will allow the U.S. to grapple with challenges that others deemed taboo, Martin said.

"It might not be the most comfortable way to deal with issues, but at least we are going to deal with them head on," Martin said. "Sometimes it comes as a shock to people because we are not used to hearing it from our leaders."

Trump's lack of a legislative track record makes it difficult to draw conclusions about policies he might try to enact as a head of state, but he already "has done damage by normalizing hate," Shibly said.

"What troubles me the most is the message that sends my children," Shibly said. "They come home talking about how Trump wants to ban them and build a great big wall."

People gather to lay flowers in the shape of a heart at the Estero Community Park in Estero, Fla., on Nov. 12, 2016. People met at the park to write on sidewalks with chalk and lay flowers to spread awareness on what a Trump presidency might mean for religious tolerance. (Photo: Logan Newell/Special to The Naples News)